Its a grey world

When will there be some good news?

In the subway last night, I saw this man reading a book titled, ''When will there be some good news?''. Precisely my sentiments. There is a limit to perseverence. How long can one sustain without any sign of success? How long can one fight depression in times of crisis? Many questions, without answer or hope. My option for hope was to go back to India. However, when I told my parents about coming back, I could distinctly hear the voice of disappointement. I don't understand why it is such a status symbol for Indian parents to have their kids abroad. It just isn't worth wasting our lives here. India is a lively and beautiful country. In many ways one understands its beauty only after staying away from it.
Yesterday I met someone who I thought would give me some career advise. I thought, this guy was also a recent MBA graduate and had landed up with a plump job in this bad market. So he can guide me well. However, reality always sucks. He told me how he had blatantly lied on his CV about doing things which he had never done before and asked me to do the same as well. Can ou imagine my horror when he told me the full details of how I could go about scammimg people with my falsehood and lies! I don't say that I have always been truthful in my life. I have lied but under circumstance where I had little option. Yes, I have lied but thats when I felt I was being meted out unfair treatment and need to hit back. However cheating innocent professionals is just not acceptable. It is not the right thing to do and I will not succumb to any such temptation in times of hardship, I will just not do it.
''Life gives you two paths, the right one and the wrong one. Wrong one looks simple initially but will ultimately give you failure. Right one seems tough initially, you will face many obstacles but will succeed ultimately''. I wish Adi Chopra would make more movies like DDLJ.
Everything has just been plain bad lately, on job front, on country front, movie front and all other personal fronts as well. Life this Christmas resembles rubbles of Kandahar, builiding a Toronto on it is not an easy job (no pun intended, whatsoever!).

Pakistan: Would you like it Stable or Unstable?

Some smart aggression

Bleed India until death surely seems to be the motto of many powerful people in Pakistan. For us Indians, it becomes imperative to understand, who is our enemy? Not all Pakistanis but a selected lot, for sure. Should other Pakistanis suffer for actions of some? I am sure there is something about it written in the Bhagwad Gita but I haven't really read it, so wouldn't know. However, what I do know is that to save India we need to think of our own self interest. So priority should be India and then anything or anyone else. Let us now try to understand, who is the enemy? The terrorists, the people who fund them, the people who sympathize with them and the ones who manage them. If you wreck the management, the company will eventually declare bankruptcy. So go for the management. Now, who manages them? The ISI, Pakistani army and a few in Pakistani political circles (read many in PML-Q). Now, that we have a clear identification of the enemy, how do we destroy them? Notice that I am using the word destroy and not weaken because I believe that second chances are given only to freinds not foes.

Covert military option should always be an open option whenever we have any intelligence about terrorist bases near the LOC or the international border. This will result in these operations moving into the heartland of Pakistan. Now, we have the global clout to cripple Pakistan economically. Let us use that intelligently, to dry up the coffers of the Pakistani army. Use American friends to do it. Obama has actually already done half the job for us by giving a plump post to Hillary Clinton. She has to be used aa a strategic asset in this mission. Join the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Offer Canada to replace it's army in Kandahar. They have been desperately looking for ways to get out from there. We do not need to rush our army there in haste. We need to understand the situation on the ground, ask Canadians for feedbacks from the ground and then move in gradually. In this phase, Indian embassy in Kabul needs to create a favorable ground for India, in and around Kandahar. Kandahar is important as it could serve as a base to support Baloch rebels. Nushki could serve as an entry point where India could establish its presence. Proximity from Quetta helps. Now, although Quetta is the capital of Baluchistan, majority of the population there are not Baloch but they are Pakhtuns. This can work in our favor. Pakhtuns are agitated with the Pakistan military in Waziristan. This sentiment needs to be spread to Quetta and surrounding areas as well. The Afghan government should also be encouraged to get back Pakhtun dominated areas from Pakistan as Pakhtuns are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. However, alienating Pakhtuns might be hard as they hold key posts in Pakistni military and federal government. However, every opportunity created by the US strikes in NWFP should be utilized. A Baloch and Pakhtun unity could mean doom for the Punjabi dominated Pakistani army establishment. A Pakhtun rebellion in the army should also be looked at as an opportunity waiting to be exploited.
The US has its hands tied when it comes to acting freely against Pakistan as its troops in Afghanistan depend on Pak food supply and military help on Afghan Pak border near NWFP. Here, Tajakistan comes into the picture. India has already established an aircraft base there. Now, whether food supplies can take a route from there into Afghanistan can be looked at. Russia could be a very important player here. India might have to do a difficult, rather unthinkable task of bringing Russia and US closer. However, its worth giving it a shot. If that can be done, then Central Asia could be used by US and allied troops to launch attack against terrorists inside Pakistan. This hugely diminishes the influence Pakistani army has with America.

All these if done simultaneously, can bleed Pakistan to death. Seperating Balochistan from Pakistan could mean cutting of 50% of its energy and land resources. It would mean a strong Indian ally breathing right besides Karachi, Pakistan economic capital. Hence in the long term it becomes important that Pakistan becomes a weak and fragmented state, so that we Indians can live our lives in peace. Who says we need war for peace, we just need some smart aggression.

Opportunity in Tragedy

Pakistan was in the midst of terrible economic crisis when the terrorists attacked Mumbai on the dark night of 26th November. Now, coincidentally it was the same day it received the IMF fund, which was a bailout for this economically failing state. However, it needs more funds to keep it running.

India has progressed a lot in the last decade. Its global clout has strengthend. It established many important contacts in organizations around the world. This clout needs to be used to squeeze aid meant for Pakistan unless they keep elimianting terrorists and their infrastructure. This is a historical chance. A golden opportunity of sorts. If we do not nail them down now, we will regret forever.

Surgical strikes also should be in store. If nothing else works in the next 45 days, then strike Pakistan where it hurts. A common fear is a full fledged nuclear war. However, if we put ourselves in Pakistan's shoes, war seems like an unlikely option. They are crumbling economically. Any war means certain death for them. Taliban has gained stronghold in NWFP. If Pak army moves away from there, these guys are ready to enter Eastern Punjab. Kashmiri terror groups are already supporting, they will help them takeover parts of POK too. PAK army knows this very well. They know they need to finish these elements from SWAT valley else, Islamabad might fall.

They cannot afford war now. Neither can US or EU. Their troops depend on PAK army on the eatern border. Lets tell the West that if they want to prevent a conflict and protect their troops, India will have to be rewarded. No compromises.

Who is living in denial?

Pakistan elite & middle class: They seem to think terrorists are not part of their society but something that happens only in Afghanistan,tribal areas and Kashmir. Wake up, your army and inelligence agencies train them and use them over and over again. People in Pakistan deny that they resent India's progress so much that it leads them to support destructive plans.

Indian people: These terrorists could not have succeeded without local help. What drives people to such things? Fundamentalist religious techings, vested political interest which does not stop extremist organizations and communal politicians like Advani, Narendra Modi, Karunanidhi and Mulayam Singh. These 3 factors need to be eliminated, no matter which side you stand on. Madrassas need to be stopped, deal toughly with Bangladesh, Nepal and ofcourse Pakistan. This is probably the only denial Indian people have come out of. Now, almost everyone knows that Pakistani conspiracies are threating the very concept of Indian society. Pakistan today is economicall crumbled, politically divided, militarily in a wek position due to desertions. This is the time to act shrewdly. Don't declare war. Fight a proxy war. Use your contact in IMF and World Bank to attach Indian interest strings of the loans Pakistan need, wthout which they can not survive. Strike terrorists with blasts in their offices, terror camps and the malls which the underworld owns and runs in cities like Karachi. Strike them where it hurts. Hack Pakistani websites which promote movie and music piracy. Block all sources of revenue for them.

Pakistani Media: This is the most evident and biggest group in denial. They love to spend energy in targeting Indian media for being patriotic but fail to concentrate on terror camps and operations in cities like Lahore and Karachi. Why so? Is it not safe for them. Thats BS! BBC is trying to find these elements in recent reports, although not very succesful yet. How can you explain a white lady reporter reporting form interiors of Pakistan and local media not doing it. Pakistani media truly in denial!